The State Government on Tuesday maintained that the elements behind the incidents of ‘Patthalgadi’ have been identified and stringent action will be taken against them very soon.
Talking to media persons after a review meeting held by Chief Minister Raghubar Das on the issue, Home Secretary SKG Rahate said that the State Government was quite serious about the incidents of ‘Patthalgadi’ and said that some anti-social elements have been misguiding the innocent villagers by misinterpreting the provisions of the Constitution.
Recently, incidents of ‘Patthalgadi’ in some tribal dominated districts like Khunti and Simdga were witnessed, where the villagers tried to ban the entry of the administration officials in some of the areas and top district officials were made captive for several hours.
“People who are misguiding the innocent villagers in the garb of ‘Patthalgadi’ have been identified and action will be taken against them very soon by the administration,” said Rahate. “It is being done in a well-planned way under a conspiracy by some anti-social elements,” he added.
“It was also discussed during the review meeting to generate more and more jobs for youths in those areas, and also stressed to establish strong communication with Gram Pradhan and Mukhiya of the affected villages,” he added.
“Gram Pradhan and Mukhiya along with the Government functionaries have also been directed to publicize Government schemes and welfare programmes being conducted for them,” he said. Rahate also appealed the people to cooperate in the ongoing government schemes being implemented in their areas
DGP DK Pandey was also present during the review meeting.
Meanwhile, leaders of various tribal organisations headed by Tribal Advisory Council (TAC) member Ratan Tirkey met Governor Droupadi Murmu and gave her the ground reality demanding a State-level meeting of tribal leaders, administrative officials and social activists to remove confusion related to ‘Patthalgadi’. Tirkey talking to media persons said that Tribals being a sensitive community are only demanding their rights as per the Fifth Schedule of theConstitution.
“It is not that they are against development. Tribals only question people entering their villages boundaries as to why they were going to their villages as thousands of their girls were being trafficked to other states,” said Tirkey. People in the State are being misguided in the name of ‘Patthalgadi,’ hence a state level meeting of traditional tribal leaders like Munda, Manki, Padha, Pargainait and Sarna Samitis, intellectuals, social activists along with political and administrative representatives must be called by the Governor to remove confusion in this regard, he added.
Tirkey, handing over a memorandum to the Governor also demanded that provisions of the Fifth Schedule must be implemented in the State, right to Gram Sabha as per the provisions under PESA, posting of only those officials in Scheduled Tribe areas who have all knowledge about tribal and local languages, appointment of Fifth Schedule Officer in Raj Bhawan, placing only those officials in Tribal Research Institute having knowledge of tribal languages and Anthropology etc.